Bet ban hearings sidelined

Friday, March 17, 2000 | 12:23 p.m.

Representatives of the American Gaming Association said staffers for Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told them there will not be hearings on the betting ban during the last week of March as had been tentatively planned.

On the House side, the date for hearings has slipped to May at the earliest, according to a spokesman for Rep. Tim J. Roemer, D-Ind., a cosponsor of the bill.

"I suspect it would be rather embarrassing to my colleagues to have these hearings during March Madness," said Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., referring to the nickname for the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament, which began Thursday.

"I would bet that two-thirds, if not more, of the Senate offices have pools betting on which teams advance in which brackets," Bryan said. "Our office has had a pool for years."

Advocates of the betting ban had been pushing for hearings to put a spotlight on the legislation while the NCAA Tournament unfolded on national television.

"It just would have been mean spirited, for lack of a better term, to have a hearing during the tournament," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

But Reid downplayed the significance of the delay.

"We still have to be very alert and recognize there are large numbers of college administrators who support this bill," he said. "It's still going to be very tough for us to stop this legislation."

A spokesman for Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who introduced the bill last month, also sought to minimize the postponement.

"I don't really see any importance whatsoever," said Erik J. Hotmire, Brownback's press secretary. "There will be hearings, and the NCAA is pressing very aggressively on this legislation."